The Legacy of Aphrodite
by angstangelo
Summary: In the world of demigods, in the time of the second Great Prophecy, Percy Jackson and his friends slew Giants and Titans, saving the world countless times. But somewhere else at Camp Half Blood, a daughter of Aphrodite fought her own battles. My name is Jessica. This is my story.
1. The Beginning

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes of Olympus or the Percy Jackson Series. **_

**The Legacy of Aphrodite**

**The Beginning**

At the start, I'd always believed that my mother had run off. I resented her every single day, not because she had broken my Dad's heart, but because she had left me to deal with it. My Dad, you see, was an angry man. And more often than not, I was the only one there for him to vent his frustration out on. I had been slapped countless times. Not hard enough to leave marks, but hard enough to injure my soul. And the worse thing was that after, he didn't even apologise. He went about his life and pretended nothing happened. I longed for a proper father that would beam at me every day, swing me around on my birthday, glare at any guys that broke my heart when it came to it. But that doesn't happen. It hurt to know that he didn't love me. Yet I couldn't run away. Where could I go? I had no friends at school. I tried to work hard, and get good grades at least, maybe plant a small seed of happiness in Dad's heart, but I could never focus properly. I didn't fit in. That was all until the new kid arrived at my school.

It was a normal morning. Wake up, brush teeth, Eat, run to bus, sit, get off bus, sit in the corner of homeroom. Hoping nobody would notice me. Hoping I could somehow blend into the grey wall behind me. And then an odd looking boy walked in. He had curly hair, set underneath a bright green cap. He wore a plain orange shirt, and jeans that seemed too big. He walked on crutches too. I wonder what happened….there goes my mind again. He loped in, among a couple of other stray people. They all stared after him. Then they turned back to their conversation, laughing. He turned his head towards me and gave me a bright smile. I felt like shrinking into my chair. The worst thing I needed right now was another person to increase my weird level. He swung towards me on his crutches.

"Heya, girl", he said, his voice friendly. It was contagious. I hadn't heard someone use that tone on me since, well, forever. How could I reject it?

"Hi", I squeaked, ignoring the consequences any sort of bond with this guy might result in.

"Bill's the name, you?"

"Jessica. Jessica Lang."

"Well, Jess, you seem like a mighty fine person. Anyone sittin' here? He gestured to the seat next to me.

"No. No one."

"Good." He sat in the seat awkwardly, swinging his crutches out of the way.

"Um", I said, curious, yet not wanting to be rude, "What happened to your legs?"

"Muscular disorder", he replied coolly. "Can't walk properly. Been with these babies since I was a kid." He patted his crutches affectionately. I nodded.

"So why doncha tell me 'bout yourself, hm? Since we're being so buddy buddy and all"

"Well", I said. "I have a Dad. My Mum ran off when I was born." At this, he nodded thoughtfully. "I don't have any brothers or sisters. My Dad never re married. Thats about it. My life isn't that interesting."

"No, no, it ain't borin' at all." He looked thoughtful again. "Do ya have any memories of her?"

"My mother? No. Not really. My Dad never kept any pictures, but he I remember my Dad saying she WAS very beautiful. Why?"

"Oh, nothin', really, just wanted to see where ya got yer pretty looks from." He smirked as a blush crept up my cheeks.

Just then, the bell went, rising shrilly above our conversation. Bill winked at me, and faced the front just as the rest of the class poured in, glancing at Bill, and sweeping their eyes right over me, as if I didn't exist. Normally, this would've sat fine with me, but today I felt annoyed. What right did they have to just ignore me like I was nothing but a speck of dust they could step on with their foot? I felt a warm molten rage build up inside of me. Where it came from, I had no idea, but it was there, and I couldn't control it. Suddenly, Bill was there, a steadying hand on my shoulder. I suppressed the anger and waited until it dissolved.

"You ok there, girl?", he asked, concern on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine now, thanks."

The teacher called the roll, and then beckoned Bill to the front of the classroom. He swung his crutches around and loped forward.

"8F, this is your new classmate, Bill Greengrass. Take care of him, folks", he said monotonously, as if he couldn't care less if people took care of him or not. "Off you go". The class filed noisily out of the classroom.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. I spent the classes chatting to Bill-I had long since given up trying. I wasn't getting anywhere. Sums were a jumble of useless numbers and symbols. Shakespeare's words blurred into each other. I couldn't focus. I did get called out a couple of times by teachers, though. They all looked surprised, as if they had just noticed I was there, and a tad disappointed, like, "Oh God. Here's another chatterbox to deal with." I could care less though. I had a new friend, and I would stick with him. People gave us weirder looks than ever, though. But they mostly just kept about their business, so that was ok. By the end of the day, I had learnt that Bill had no family, but stayed at some kind of Summer camp. They had sent him here to get some useful stuff into his brain, apparently. Also that he had a liking for tin cans and veggie tacos.

That afternoon, I went home in high spirits. Only to come home to my Dad throwing things around. I opened the door cautiously, before shutting it again as a vase nearly crashed into my face.

"JESSICA! IS THAT YOU? COME IN HERE YOU UNGRATEFUL TWIT!", he roared. I sighed, mentally steeling myself for a lot of pain.

"I'm home", I mumbled.

"THATS RIGHT YOU ARE! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?"

"I was at school."

"YOU COME RIGHT BACK, YOU HEAR ME? DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE WAITED FOR YOU TO COME HOME AND MAKE ME LUNCH?" he yelled, slapping my shoulder. I winced.

"Didn't I make some this morning?"

"YOU CALL THAT PATHETIC SANDWICH A LUNCH? I BET THAT YOU MADE YOURSELF YOUR OWN AND LEFT ME ALL THE LEFTOVERS, WHILE YOU WENT ALONG TO YOUR SCHOOL AND GOSSIPED ALL DAY!"

I stared out past him. I was used to this. The sooner it was over, the better.

"YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR MOTHER. A USELESS GIRL THAT RAN OFF LEAVING ME WITH YOU, YOU USELESS FOOL!" he punctuated every word by hitting me. I flinched away.

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN. AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT DINNER."

I fled up to my room, hot tears pricking my eyes, making everything blurry. This wasn't the first time he insulted my mother and I, but it still hurt. I collapsed on my bad and buried my face into my pillow, my only good friend that accompanied me during these times, letting the tears stream out. I lay there for a bit, just letting the bitter sadness flow out of me, before my energy left me and I fell asleep.

Bill was waiting for me at the school gate the next morning. I had left in the bleak hours of the morning, making sure I left something for my Dad. He seemed to pick up on my silent mood.

"Hey, Jess, whatsup? Ya'll ok?"

I sighed. "It's my Dad. You see, he isn't a very happy person. In fact, he hates me. He hits me sometimes."

Bill looked alarmed. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm used to it anyways."

He was silent for a while. After two minutes, he finally spoke up. "Jess? Have you ever thought of running away?"

I laughed dryly. "More times than I can count. But where can I go? It's not like I had any friends before you. Plus, they wouldn't let me stay with them anyway."

He was silent again. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, he said; "You know that camp I told you about?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"There's a lot of kids there like you that ran away from home. In fact, my mate Grover has a best friend called Annabeth that ran away when she was 7."

I was stunned. I couldn't believe it.

"You can come with me, if ya want. Pack your things and run away. Tonight."

"I…I….what about school? And I thought it was only a Summer camp?"

"They take Year-rounders too. And school, well, I've dropped outta a lot before. Another won't hurt. Besides. You don't care about it much, do you?"

I smiled. And said a word that would change my life forever. "Okay"

That day, I could hardly sit still. I kept whispering to Bill about the camp. Like, what do you do there? What kind of people are there? Are there any adults? Are they nice? He just chuckled and said "You'll see" This went on until our English Teacher, Mr Kennedy, frowned at us and told me to quiet down. When he saw that I was talking to Bill, he told him to take his hat off in class. Just to annoy him, no doubt. He didn't have a problem with it yesterday. Bill reluctantly took it off, and shook out his brown curls. But I wasn't looking at his hair. Because nestled in the mass of hair were two curling horns that were clearly sticking out of his head. I gasped.

Mr Kennedy looked at me and Bill again. "Mrs Lang, Mr Greengrass, is there a problem here?"

"No, not at all" Bill replied, looking at me strangely. I didn't utter a peep. Couldn't anyone else see them?

After school, we met back up outside the school.

"Hey, Jess, it's still on today, yeah?"

I was still in shock about the horns. They didn't look very fake.

"Uh, yeah, sure", I said, distracted.

"Cool. I'll meet ya up at yours at midnight, k?"

I gave him a nervous smile to tell him that I agreed with the plan.

I walked home. To my surprise, Dad wasn't there. Thank god, I thought.

I trudged up the stairs to my room and looked around. This would be my last night here. I didn't have a suitcase. In fact, the only bag I had was my schoolbag. I folded the few clothes I possessed-except for my school uniform. I wouldn't need that anymore. I added some of my belongings. A hairbrush. A small mirror. Toothbrush and toothpaste. A battered mp3 player and a set of earphones that I'd won in a dance competition. I crept downstairs and grabbed a bottle of water and some food. A sandwich. Two apples, an orange and some cold chicken. It wouldn't last long, but it was better than nothing. By this time, my bag was bulging. I flopped onto the bed. I should probably get a couple hours sleep before I set off….

I woke up at 11:40. I could hear the loud snores of my Dad in the room next to me. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't going to miss him, thats for sure. Yet I couldn't just leave him without saying something. He HAD been my only family for 14 years. After a long pondering silence, I took a sticky note and wrote this onto it :

_**Goodbye. I hope you find happiness one day. **_

_**-Jessica**_

I stuck it to his door and sneaked downstairs. I opened the door, careful not to make it squeak, and taking a final glance at my shabby home, took a step outwards, closing the door softly behind me. Bill was already there, green cap and all, a smile upon his face.

"You ready?"

I took a deep breath. "Yes. I'm ready."

We took off into the dark night.

**-PurplePegasus**


	2. The Journey to Camp Half-Blood

**The Legacy of Aphrodite**

_To: Leo forever….Thank you so much! Your review means a lot to me :)_

**The Journey to Camp Half-Blood**

We had been travelling for a few hours. It seemed as if the scenery would never change. The grey streaks of Dawn were already starting to peep through the horizon. My back strained with the weight of my bag. I had already finished half my water, and I was beginning to doubt my decision to come here. But Bill strode on tirelessly. And I thought, if someone on crutches can walk that far, then so can I. Before long, though, I was gasping for breath and called out to him to stop. Bill looked reluctant, but when he saw how much my legs were shaking, he willingly came back. I flopped onto the slightly damp morning grass with a sigh of relief. Bill, on the other hand, looked as if he could do another tens of miles.

"How are you not TIRED?" I asked, spreading myself out on the cool grass. "We just walked 20 something miles, and you look like you didn't even walk 1!"

He shrugged. "Practice, ah guess. Been through worse than long hikes." He looked serious. I instantly felt guilty for whining. "When're you good to go? We wanna put some good distance between you and that ole town of yours before someone realises, eh?" THAT brought me back to my feet. The worst thing that could happen right now was a couple of wailing sirens that could come chasing after me before I'd barely left the borders. That was what I THOUGHT anyways.

So off we went, traipsing through wet grass and hard cement, staying out of peoples way, By the time morning came, every part of me ached, and I was looking worse for wear. Strands of damp hair stuck to sides of my head, Wet grass covered my shoes, and my shirt clung to my body. Plus, my stomach was growling.

"How…Long….Left?" I panted, striving to catch up to my curly haired friend.

"Not very long. We should make it before noon. It's surprising really, how ya'll haven't attracted any….." he stopped abruptly.

"Attracted what?" I pressed.

"Uh…Ya see, um, er, Mosquitoes! Yeah, surprising ya haven't attracted mosquitoes in this weather!", he said, fanning his face. I raised an eyebrow skeptically. It wasn't even that hot. Something was fishy here. And I didn't mean the tuna sandwich in my bag. But I decided not to press it further. He clearly didn't want to talk about it.

We kept walking. It seemed like there was nothing but the occasional car and grass and shrubs. Where was this camp anyway? Its not like they could just stop in the middle of nowhere and herd tons of abandoned kids into an empty space and call it a camp! I was getting exasperated. But I had to trust Bill. He was the only person I had now. I took an Apple out of my bag and bit into it. At least I deserved some food for walking so long. As I ate, I thought back to my last day at home. And the horns. I was still puzzled about that. Maybe some weird hippie fashion. The problem is, it didn't look plastic at all. But it couldn't be _real, _could it? Nah, things like that didn't exist. What were they called again? Satires? No. Sayteers? No. Oh wait, I got it. _Satyrs_. Those goat people in Greek myths. I mind wandered to Bill's "muscular disorder". For a second, an image of him with hairy legs popped into my mind, but I immediately dismissed it. It wasn't possible.

Then there was the matter of my father. What would he do when he realised I was gone? Would he be worried? Oh, hell, who am I kidding? Of course he wouldn't be. The only reason he would send out a search is so that he doesn't have to get off his fat butt to do everything for himself.

I was so caught up in my own thoughts, I almost bumped into Bill's arm. He had thrown it out to his side, to stop me from going any further. To my surprise, the sun was high in the sky. With all my scrambled thoughts running around in my head, I hadn't realised how much we'd travelled. I looked forward, squinting against the light to see…..a hill. A great, grassy, hill.

"We're here", he said.

Was this some kind of joke? He brought me all the way across Long Island to a HILL? He wasn't smiling though. In fact, he was sniffing the air cautiously. Great, I thought. I'm stuck on the other side of Long Island with a complete weirdo. What I didn't notice were the grey, wispy clouds that had suddenly floated in front of the sun and covered the whole sky. What was once a bright, sunlit day had transformed into bleak darkness…..the kind of weather you might expect in at 5 am in the morning, not at high noon. I felt Bill stiffen next to me. A strange smell permeated the air. Sulfur. Rotten eggs. Dark, mouldy shadows. Wet dog. Wait, DOG?

"RUN!", Bill yelled, pulling my arm, making me almost trip over my own feet.

We sprinted up the hill, my bag bouncing on my back. The smell was worse now-like an alleyway that hadn't seen sunlight in decades. Somewhere behind me, I could hear a faint snarling. I was terrified. If it weren't for Bill, I would've just stood there until I petrified.

"GET TO THE TOP OF THE HILL! I'LL DISTRACT IT!" he shouted. He let go of my arm. As I watched, transfixed, too scared to move, Bill shed his jeans and threw his crutches aside. His bottom half wasn't human at all…..hooves, furry behind and all…Bill was half-goat. He hurtled himself at a dog-like shape-except it was much, much bigger. The size of a small car, the monstrous dog growled, eyes smouldering with hellish fire, mouth open to reveal horrible, long, pointed teeth. Saliva frothed on its tongue. Not your average stray dog at all. Definitely not. It snarled, and pounced at Bill.

"BILL!", I shrieked, fearing for my friends life. But he nimbly dodged in between the monsters paws, and brought a reed pipe-WHERE did that come from?-to his lips. He played a quick tune, which HARDLY matched the mood right now-we were fighting a great demonic dog, and he was playing reed pipes. Totally not judging his sanity. It could hardly be heard over the top of the dog's growling, anyway. To my complete amazement, however, great, thick vines started to grow up around its huge paws.

The green vines snaked around its legs, entangling themselves around his body. The hound struggled, and for a second, I thought we had defeated it, but the…the _thing_ remembered it had teeth and slashed them to ribbons. With a powerful swing of its tail, he swept Bill from under him. He flew out between the creatures legs and landed on the ground a few metres away, unconscious. The monsters turned its blood red eyes on me.

My legs unfroze. I ran screaming up the hill. I had no idea what I was supposed to find, but Bill had told me to reach the top of the hill. What else could I do? I could hear the heavy thudding of paws behind me, gaining ground much faster than me. My legs couldn't carry me much longer….100m, 90, 80, 70, 60,50…A heavy weight crashed into me from behind and I went sprawling. The monster stood on top of me, its breath stinking like rotten eggs, It's fiery eyes blazing

with malice. It's mouth was stretched wide open in a gaping grin, as if he were rubbing it in my face that I would become excellent dog chow.

"NO, NO, GET OFF, GET. OFF!", I shrieked, half sobbing. To my great surprise and relief, the dogs eyes glazed over and he shook his head. He stepped away from me, blinking in confusion. I bolted away, and sprinted the last 50 metres to the top. An arch with Greek symbols carved on them stood there. I stumbled through it, and felt a pair of strong hands catch me. I had no idea who it was, but I didn't care. "Bill…..dog….ran…hill…camp….", I stuttered, before I collapsed and my mind shut down in a dark wave of sleep.


	3. The Daughter of Aphrodite

**The Legacy of Aphrodite**

**The Daughter of Aphrodite. **

When I came back to consciousness, the first thing I registered was light. Bright, blinding light that was streaming through the windows. The same light that most people would groan at and draw their covers up against. But after that encounter with that monster, I don't think I could ever hate the light ever again. Oh God. The monster. The memories of what happened crawled their way back up to the surface of my brain sluggishly. The horrible face leering down at me. Running to the arch at the top of the hill. The arms that caught me. Bill being flung to the side like a piece of rubbish. Bill.

"BILL!" I exclaimed loudly, bolting upwards on the bed. Wait, what? Bed? That was the second thing I realised. I looked around blearily, making out what seemed like a wooden cabin, filled with about a dozen of clean, white, empty beds. It seemed I was the only one here. But where the hell was "here"? There was CLEARLY nothing but an empty arch at the top of the hill. WHERE did all this COME from? My brain couldn't process properly. The confusion coupled with the recent events was giving me a headache. I flopped back onto the sheets. Maybe I should fall asleep again.

"Clop, clop, clop, clop". Oh wait, never mind. Here comes a…a…..horse? URGGGHHH. My brain feels like it might explode. I slowly sat back up again….and almost fell off the bed. Because the man in front of me was another half human. At least the bit about the horse was right though. Or half right, anyway. I shouldn't even be that surprised. My only friend turned out to be a reed pipe playing half goat. The…whats it called again? oh, right. _Centaur,_ must've seen the not-so-slight alarm on my face, because, out of nowhere, a battered wheelchair rolled along and his bottom half folded into it like origami. There MUST be some kind of magic involved, cos something that big couldn't possibly fit in it normally. He wheeled himself over to my bedside.

"Are you feeling alright, now, Miss Lang? he asked in a kindly tone.

"I….I guess…but, uh, my brain just feels a little….slow." I said, real intelligently. And how did he know my name again?

He nodded in understanding. "Eat this. I should clear you up". He offered me a small square of what looked like a small brownie. I took it suspiciously, looked at it, and took a small bite. It tasted like the ice cream cake one of the girls in my class brought to school on her birthday. Pure Heaven. I finished the rest. It swept the fogginess out of my mind instantly, cutting a clear path through the misty confusion.

"Thanks." I said.

"It's alright. We get many of your kind here. From what we heard from your friend Bill, your mind must've received quite the battering."

"Bill! Is he ok?" I asked frantically, worried that he was hurt.

"Mr Greengrass is fine. He's trained for these situations. I imagine he's used to it by now." I nodded. That was good, I guess.

"So, uh, you're an, um, uh" I asked awkwardly, gesturing to his "legs"

"A centaur, Miss Lang. I am a centaur. My name is Chiron." he said. "There are many things you don't know about the world, dear. I suppose you had best come with me. Are you alright to stand?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine now, thank you." I swung my legs over the bed to the floor. To my surprise, my old faded jeans had been replaced with new ones, and my dirty shirt traded for a crisp, orange shirt with "Camp Half-Blood" emblazoned upon it. My hair, and shoes, however, were the same as before I came to this place. Wet and matted with grass. Oh well.

I followed Chiron downstairs. I looked around. It was pretty empty, save for a ping pong table and a and a couple of chairs. I followed him out onto a deck, and gasped. People in orange shirts were everywhere. Talking, running around…..and were those swords? Yup. Light glinted off long, sharp bronze as they met again and again with a series of clangs. The wielders jabbed and parried, moving fluidly, hair slick with sweat. A gang of pretty girls with way too much jewellery on gossiped in the corner. A couple of guys were darting in and out of the crowd, picking at pockets. One of them waved to me with a bright smile, before whizzing away again. And all those goat people….so many….They were scattered all across the place. One was playing a wooden flute to the side merrily. Another was chewing….a coke can? None of the people milling around seemed to mind. Most of them were kids, or teens. The oldest looked about 19, or 20.

Chiron seemed amused at my amazement. "Yes, it is rather impressive, isn't it?"

He gestured to a man beside him. In my fascination, I hadn't realised he was there. Which was pretty ironic, since, considering his clothing, he would be very hard to miss. He was wearing a wine-red, loose shirt, buttons open at the top, constricting a bulging stomach. On his legs, he sported a pair of leopard tights. He held a can of Diet Coke in a large, hairy hand. He gave me a condescending look.

"This here, is Mr D. He's our Camp Director. Mr D, this is Miss Jessica Lang."

"Nice to meet you", I said.

He belched. "She's one of us?" he asked, as if I weren't even in the room. Chiron sighed.

"Well, of course she is, how do you think she got past the border?" he replied, exasperated.

Mr D belched again, and nodded. He peered at me through squinted eyes. "Claimed?" he asked again.

"No."

"Well, put 'er in Hermes until she is."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." I said, interrupting their conversation. "Exactly WHAT does 'one of us' mean? And what borders? Whats Hermes?"

Chiron looked uncomfortable. Mr D looked at me again. "She doesn't KNOW?"

Chiron sighed. "I haven't the chance to explain. Perhaps I should do that now before we go any further." He turned to me. "Have you ever heard of the Greek Gods?

A hazy memory surface surfaced to my mind about a teacher droning about Greek mythology. "Yeah, I guess" I said slowly. "Like, Zeus and Poseidon, right?"

He nodded. "Tell me, who were you raised by?"

"My father…..My mother ran off when I was born." I replied.

"Well, the thing is, your mother most likely did not run off. Do you know about demigods?"

"As in half god, half human? Like Perseus?"

He smiled. "Exactly like that. In fact, we have a camper here called Perseus."

"So…you're saying that my mother was…."

"One of the Olympian goddesses, yes."

I could feel another headache coming on. "And I am….?"

"A demigod. Everyone here is."

I blinked. I was stunned. I didn't know what to say.

Chiron smiled reassuringly. "I know it's a lot to take in, and its hard to believe, but you must. You will get used to life after here in a while. It's unsafe in the outside world, especially now that you know what you are. It makes your scent stronger. And you saw for yourself what will happen if you venture outside camp borders again, untrained." I shuddered internally, remembering the monsters foul breath. I took a deep breath.

"I believe you", I said. What choice did I have, really?

His face broke out in a grin. "Good. I'll fetch Bill to lead you to the Hermes cabin. You can stay there until you get claimed by your godly parent, which should be soon enough. You ARE over 13, after all." He jumped out of the wheelchair, his bottom half springing out, tail and all, and cantered away.

This whole time, Mr D was silent. As I stood back to face him, an awkward atmosphere settled over us. Finally, he spoke up. "Miss Ling, do you know who I am?"

"Lang", I corrected him. "And you're the camp director, aren't you?"

He looked slightly offended. "I am much, much more than a mere camp director, Jennifer" he drew himself up to full height. I didn't really see anything impressive about it, until he frowned, and a purplish aura surrounded him. The air came alive with the smell of sweet grapes, and fine wine.

Oh, I thought. Wine. Grapes. Mr _D_. "You're _Dionysus_, aren't you? The God of Wine?"

He looked miffed. "Well, of course I am. Who else could I be?" I didn't answer that question.

"Then…what are you doing here? And why are you drinking Diet Coke?"

Mr D looked annoyed. "Well….."

"JESS!" A familiar voice called out. A satyr with a bright green cap bounded towards me.

"BILL!" My face broke into a wide grin. "Are you ok?"

"Ehh, I'm Fine. Did Chiron explain everythin'?"

"Mmhm."

He looked relieved. Then his face lit up with excitement again. "C'mon, I have HEAPS to show ya!" Then he saw Mr D. "That is, if y'all are done here", he added nervously. Mr D waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, go show Bess the camp, I don't care".

"_Jess_" I said, exasperated. Then I let Bill drag me away.

"Don't mind him. He gets everyones names wrong on purpose. Don't let it get to ya."

He led me out of the building.

"That one that ya left just then is the Big House. Chiron's office is in there, and the attic used ta hold our oracle, until this gal called Rachel came along and the spirit switched into her body. We have most of our meetings there too." It hardly made sense, but I just nodded, eager to know more. He led me out of the crowd. To my right, there lay a forest of pines. Up ahead, I could see a hill with an archway and a massive pine that towered next to it. I must've came in through there. To my Left, a stone structure stood, supported with Greek-style columns and filled with tables and chairs.

"That there," Bill said, following my line of sight, "is the mess hall. We eat there. The thing over there-he pointed to a stadium-like structure-is the amphitheatre. We meet here sometimes too. Up ahead, behind that, is a lava wall. Basically a rock climbing wall with a hot twist. Ya'll can check it out later. Further on your left is the forge. Thats where all the Hephaestus kids make all our weapons and stuff. Then there's the armoury. Someone'll take you there later to pick out a weapon. Every demigod needs one. A bit farther left than that are the pegasus stables. You'll get some lessons in riding them after you've settled down and all." My mind whirled. I couldn't wait to do everything.

We kept on walking, until we came to a huge empty space holding a dozen or so finished cabins, while a couple of structures stood to the side, in the middle of construction. There was a charred pile of wood piled in the middle, probably for a campfire or something. . Fountains stood everywhere, statues of cupids and godly figures spurting water out of their arrows and fingertips. "Woah", I breathed. Each cabin was different in their own way. There was one with a thatched roof and green vines and flowers snaking up the sides. One looked like it was made out of sea stone, encrusted with seashells. The one next to that was dark and sinister-looking. There was one completely made out of white marble. Some shone with silver or golden light. A completely red structure hosted terrifying weapons along its walls. Simply. Amazing.

"Are these the cabins where we're staying?" I asked Bill excitedly.

"Mmhm", he replied, smiling at my eagerness. "Everyone stays in the one dedicated to their godly parent. Since ya'll haven't been claimed yet, ya'll stay in the Hermes cabin, until you have. God of travellers and all that. Your stuffs already all there. Just check that everything's there, though. Hermes is also the God of thieves. It's the shabbiest cabin with with the most people around it. Just ask for the Stolls. Ya should be fine. I'll see you at dinner!" And with a flick of his goatly tail, he trotted off.

I blinked after him, and just stood there, feeling a little lost, everything Bill said still tumbling over one on another through my head. I might've just stayed there for a long time, looking confused, because a tall girl with with a long straight, swishing, ponytail and light brown eyes started to head up to me, followed closely by another girl, shorter than her, with short, wavy hair, and glasses.

"Hi" she said. I turned to look at her. "Are you new? You look lost. Do you need help?" she asked kindly. "Err…." I started awkwardly.

"It's ok, you know. It's easy to feel lost on your first day. I remember I got lost on my first day, and almost stumbled out of the borders." She smiled at the memory. Her eyes looked green now. Her shirt was faded, as if she'd been here a long time. "You're headed to Hermes, I suppose? I nodded.

The other girl piped up. "So you haven't been claimed yet?" She asked quietly.

"Nope." I answered.

"Follow me, then!" the first girl declared.

As we walked, the girls introduced themselves. "My names Lily", the first girl said. "I'm a daughter of Apollo." Then after a slight pause, she added, more softly, "I'm also actually the grand daughter of Poseidon. My mum was a demigod. But not a lot of people know that, except for a couple of my friends and Chiron. I don't want to attract too much attention, you know? Descendants of the Big Three usually don't mean good news. There's a really powerful camper here-his names Percy. He went missing a couple of months ago. We're all trying to find him. Then theres another person that came here a couple weeks ago. He's a son of Zeus-the most powerful of all gods. A lot of people are scared of him. They all have really good powers. I can't control the water though-my talents lie mostly in the Apollo department. I DO have a couple of tricks up my sleeve though. This, for example." She pulled out a smooth cylinder. "This, here, is _Θάλασσα Τραγούδι _(pronounced Thálassa Tragoúdi)_, _or Thalassa, for short." To my surprise, I understood it. _Sea Song_. Poseidon and Apollo. She flicked her wrist. Out of the left end sprung a tightly coiled whip-like thing. It thrummed softly. It seemed to be made up of some kind of liquid, because the surface shifted and rippled, like a lake in a small breeze. "This was made by Poseidon himself, forged out of the very water Aphrodite rose out of. It will burn through everything it touches, including monster hide." She flicked her wrist again, and it snapped back into the cylinder. Then she brought it down in a large arc. A blade the same texture and colour as the whip sprung out. "This does basically the same thing, except it's in the shape of a sword." She swung it back up again and it retracted. I stared in amazement. If only I could have something half as cool as that.

The second girl introduced herself as Amy. "I'm nothing special like Lily is, just a normal daughter of Athena" she said. Her voice was soft. At this, Lily piped up again. I was beginning to realise that when she had something to talk about, she had quite a lot to say. "She's being modest. She's actually really smart. All children of Athena are." Amy ducked her head, hiding her blue-grey eyes from view. "I'm ok", she squeaked. Lily rolled her eyes. "She's always like this," she said. "For the 5 years I've known her, she has never boasted about her smartness to anybody." Then, in a kinder voice, she said "Show Jess your weapon!" Amy carefully took a long, slender dagger out of a sheath strapped to her side. "This is Swift Owl," she said proudly. "I call her _tacheia _\- it's Greek for swift. The day I was claimed, The owl above me, instead of fading away, shot down to Earth and formed this knife stuck in the ground. Her name glowed beside her, before fading away." She turned the silver blade over in her hands. "Nobody knows what its made of-most of the weapons here are made out of celestial Bronze. But I've used it in every single battle so far and its never failed me. It's never left my side, either. Every time I lose it, it just reappears in its sheath a few seconds later." I felt awed. It seemed like both their weapons truly belonged to each of their wielders, and them only.

Lily stopped. I looked up to see what you might see at a bad accommodation for a recreational camp. The cabin was the oldest-looking of all of them. It looked like it might fall down soon, and it seriously needed a renovation. Venturing inside, I could see why. Guys and Girls of every age lay, sat and stood in every empty space. Bunk Beds were crammed everywhere. I could barely move.

"Everyone whose parents cabin haven't been finished and the unclaimed all stay here, as well as the true descendants of Hermes" Lily said, trying to squeeze through the crowd. "STOLLS!" She hollered over the racket. A boy with short black hair and sparkling brown eyes filled with mischief materialised behind her. He put a finger to his lips, and then tugged on Lily's long, black hair. "MI…CHAEL!" She growled, whirling around to face the laughing boy. She fumed. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" The boy, Michael, feigned innocence. "This is my cabin, isn't it? I should be the one asking what you're doing!" he smirked. Lily's cheeks grew red, but she tried not to explode. Meanwhile, me and Amy were desperately trying to hold in giggles and failing. Badly. "We're looking for the Stolls", Lily said through gritted teeth. "Know where they are?" "Actually, yes," he replied. "They're off pranking the Demeter cabin. Why?" Lily took a deep breath. "My friend here, Jess, needs to stay here for a bit. Do you know where they put her stuff?" He turned to look at me. "New girl, hm?" I nodded. "Come with me." He led me to a bed crammed in the corner of the room. My battered bag sat on top of it. To my relief, it didn't look like it had been rummaged through. Lily and Amy reappeared. "We'll leave you to settle down. Dinner's in 15 minutes, so we'll see you soon. You normally have to sit with your cabin, but since your unclaimed, you can sit with on of us instead." "Ok", I said, flopping onto the bed. They disappeared. A few seconds later, I heard Lily shriek and yell curses in Greek at Michael. I giggled.

The first thing I got out of my bag was my hairbrush. I brushed it through the tangles in my hair, sighing as the knots came out and the now dry grass fell out. It took a long time, but soon, my hair was normal again-Brown, straight, tidy. A horn sounded in the distance. Everyone started to file out of the cabin. Assuming it was dinnertime, I got swept up with everyone else and followed suit.

Once we arrived at the mess hall, I searched for Lily and Amy's heads in the sea of orange shirts. I spotted them near a fireplace, waving at me madly. I hurried over. Lily smiled, lifting a lock of my hair. "Your hair looks much better like this", she said. Amy nodded. "Come sit with me. The Apollo table is has a little less people than Athena, and they're practically next to each other, anyway. I followed her to said table, waving to Amy, who walked to her own cabins table, most of which consisted of people wearing glasses and with their nose buried in a book.

I sat down among the Apollo cabin next to Lily, and listened to her introduce them all to me. They all seemed really friendly and fun to be around, just like her. I saw Chiron at the front of the Hall. He stamped his hoof twice. The noise ceased immediately. "Welcome, demigods, new and old." He said. "Let us honour the Gods who have let us live another day to enjoy another meal in this hall. To The Gods!"he declared. "To The Gods!" The campers echoed. I turned back to my plate. To my surprise, a bowl of cheesy spaghetti bolognese had appeared. The glass had filled with fizzing lemonade, complete with ice cubes.

I dug in. I hadn't realised how hungry I was until I tasted the pasta. It was delicious. When I has almost finished, I noticed people taking their plates to the hearth and scraping some food into the flames.

"What are they doing?" I asked Lily.

"It's a offering to the Gods. You have to sacrifice some of your meal everyday. They like the smell."

I stood up, and walked over to the fire. Scraping the remains into it, I thought, _Dear Mum. Please Claim me soon. _I watched as the fire turned the pasta into ash. Suddenly, the fire blazed upwards. The whole hall turned silent. The fire turned from orange to gold, then to a soft pink. It spat sparks out into the air, which flew over my head and formed a shape. A dove. It shone for a few moments, then died back down, the sparks falling down around me. I felt slightly warm and fuzzy, and I realised my skin was glowing slightly pink. Then it too, faded. I turned around to look at the campers. And realised that my shirt and jeans had been replaced by a long, white dress. I reached up to touch my hair. It had been braided, and fell silkily over my left shoulder. There was a brief moment of silence. Then suddenly, Chiron stamped his hoof. "Camp Half Blood, I call you to hail JESSICA LANG, DAUGHTER OF APHRODITE!"

The hall erupted in cheers.

**-PurplePegasus**

**AN: To all those lovely readers who have bothered to read this far: please, please, PLEASE review and tell me what you think! It means a lot to me! Thank you! **

**Also, to my ****lovely friend **_**SeaHuntress1267: THANK YOU FOR READING! Without you, Lily and Thalassa would have never come to life :D**_


	4. The Daughter of Aphrodite-Michaels POV

**The Legacy of Aphrodite**

**The Daughter of Aphrodite**

_**Michaels POV**_

**AN: I know I usually put my AN's at the end, but read this and I might save you some time. This is somewhat of a filler chapter. You don't HAVE to read it, but I've just realised I haven't described Jess properly. It won't be as long as the other chapters, but if you want more of an image of what she looks like, read on. :)**

_I watched Lily and her friend-whats her name? Oh yeah, Amy, or somethin' like that, walk into the Hermes cabin. Another girl was with them. I hadn't seen her before. She was obviously new-her brown hair was still dirty and matted with grass, like most peoples were when they first arrive at camp. She was looking around nervously, half listening to Lily ranting away, as usual. Gods, that girl talked too much. Maybe if she kept her mouth shut a bit more and weren't so intimidating, she might attract more guys. Just at that moment, her voice screeched over the din. "STOLLS!" _

_I sighed, and got up from the bed. Our camp counsellors were absent. "Pranking" the Demeter cabin. Everyone knew Travis was hitting on Katie Gardner. Meanwhile, however, I had to make do. Oh well. At least I could annoy Lily. I darted stealthily through the crowd, and stopped behind Lily. Th new girl looked surprise, as if I had materialise out of nowhere. I put a finger on my lips, then turned to the back of Lily's head, who was still scanning the cabin for our twins. I reached a hand out and yanked her hair."MI….CHAEL….." she growled, and whirled around, her long ponytail almost whipping my face. "WHAT are YOU doing here?" I put my hands up in an act of fake innocence. "This is _my _cabin, isn't it? _I _should be the one asking what _you're _doing!" I could see her face growing red. This girl. She needs to control her temper more. To my surprise, however, she didn't try to lunge at me and try to whack me. Emphasis of the try. _

"_We're looking for the Stolls", Lily muttered through her barely contained anger, gritting her teeth. "Know where they are?" Behind her, the new girl and Amy were having a fit of giggles. The girl was actually pretty. Maybe she was a child of Aphrodite. Her hair was dirty, but her dark eyes, set in her pale face, sparkled with amusement as she tried to hold in her laugh. She wore no make up, but that was probably because the dryads in the infirmary had washed it off, when they were cleaning her up. I swear, NONE of Aphrodite's spawn went without makeup. Except for maybe the head counsellor, Piper, but she was a different story. Privately, I think they would look a lot better if they didn't cake themselves with glamourised rocks and powder. I turned my attention back to Lily. _

"_Actually, yes", I said cheerfully. "They're off pranking the Demeter cabin." HAH. Pranking. The only funny thing happening there would be Katie blatantly ignoring Travis as he vainly tried to get her attention. "Why?" _

_Lily breathed deeply. "My friend here, Jess", she gestured to the new girl, "needs to stay here for a bit. Do you know where they put her stuff?" Come to think of it, I had saw a satyr carry a battered bag in and set it down on a bed set in the corner of the room. That was probably it. _

"_New girl, hm?" I said, facing the girl, Jess. Jess. It was a pretty name. Not all big and fancy, but simple. Easy to say. "Come with me", I said. I walked in the general direction I had saw the satyr walk in, Jess, Lily, and Amy trailing after me. I gestured vaguely at the clump of beds in the corner. Jess seemed to notice her own bag though, and plopped down on said bed. I stood to the side as Lily and Amy said some stuff to her. When they left, I darted after them, and flicked her hair. She yelled a lot of things in Greek which you probably do NOT wanna understand, but I ran away before she could try and catch me. I walked back to my bed, where, surprisingly, I had a clear view of Jess. She was smiling. She pulled out a hairbrush….WOW. Out of all the the things she could've brought, she had a HAIRBRUSH. If she wasn't Aphrodite, I would shoot myself. She ran it through her hair, sorting out the clumps of tangled hair. It always fascinated me how girls had the patience to do that. It was almost magical, in a sense, how her hair would flow down in a flawless, dark brown curtain, after being so matted. She kept brushing it, even after all the knots were out. Her hair was a smooth, chocolatey brown, straight, not like Lily's, but with a couple of wisps at the end. She didn't have a fringe-that was good. It really annoyed me when girls had hair that was constantly falling in their eyes. It was really distracting. _

_I heard the horn blow. Hm. I had been watching her for longer than I thought…I walked out along with everyone else, to dinner. Good too. I was starving. I got to the mess hall, and sat down at the Hermes table. I saw Travis and Connor, Travis' hair was soaking wet, while his brother beside him was laughing his head off. "How's Katie?", I said, nudging him, winking. He silently fumed under his wet mop of hair. "She…poured…a bucket of…water over him", Connor managed out between wheezes of laughter. I smirked. "Good going, bro", I said. "Shut up, Michael", he muttered. _

_Chiron stomped his hoof twice. We fell silent. I could see Jess at the Apollo table with Lily, still smiling. Chiron said a few words, then raised a glass to the Gods. "To the Gods", I echoed. Then I turned back to my plate, which thankfully, was piled high with food. I dug in, tearing into it. _

_Half an hour later, people were already standing up to scrape their food into the fire. How did these people eat so FAST? Or maybe they just ate less. I looked at the food still on my plate. Meh. It's not like I was on a diet, or anything. YOLO, right? _

_I saw Jess stand up too, looking around at the campers sacrificing part of their dinner to the Gods. She walked over to the fire, and put something in the flames. I saw her eyes close, and her lips move. _

_The fire blazed up in an inferno of golden sparks. Jess jumped a little. The whole hall fell silent. The orange of the flames turned golden, then pink. It spat out a few glowing sparks, which flew out of the fire and shimmered above her head in the shape of a dove. The soft pink light from the flames covered Jess' body. Her jeans and shirt morphed into a snowy-white greek-style dress. Her hair glowed, and twisted itself into a complicated hairdo, wrapping around her head, then landing over her shoulder in an silky brown intricate braid. A silver necklace and bracelet shimmered on her neck and wrist. She turned to face us, her lips fuller with more colour, her eyebrows more prominent, her eyes wider. The blessing of Aphrodite. Unnaturally glowing dove faded away, the sparks dispersing like the end of a firework, and the fire died back down to its normal orange glow. Jess stood there, blinking in confusion. She patted her hair, and looked down at her dress. There was a brief moment of stunned silence as the camp looked upon her stunning beauty. Even I was taken aback at the transformation, even though I had expected it. Then Chiron stamped his hoof, and raised his glass. _

"_ALL HAIL JESSICA LANG, DAUGHTER OF APHRODITE!" _

_I clapped and whooped with everyone else. _

**-PurplePegasus**

**AN: And there you have it! I hope you weren't disappointed. This was actually my first time writing from a guys POV, so I hope it was ok. TY!**


	5. Kathréptis

**The Legacy of Aphrodite. **

_**Kathr**__**épti̱s**_

Lily rushed up to me, ponytail flying, whooping. Amy walked up too, smiling. "OHMYGODS!", she squealed, "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GOT CLAIMED SO QUICKLY!" and then, after jumping up and down in excitement, "YOU LOOK SO PRETTY!" ", then "But thats just the blessing of Aphrodite, Most kids get that when they're claimed by her. I didn't actually think you would be Aphrodite, you know, I mean, you're pretty enough, but you seem pretty normal, not, well, _mean _and stuck up, like some of your siblings are. I thought you might be Demeter or something, or maybe Athena. But oh well, you're CLAIMED!" she finished breathlessly. "oh, oh, I'll take you to your cabin!" She gripped my arm, and dragged me away from the hall, Amy flanking my other side.

"Aphrodite's the goddess of Love, right?" I asked Amy.

"Mmhm. A lot of her children are really pretty, since she's also the goddess of beauty. Her symbols the dove. Sometimes they have the power to charmspeak. Which means they basically have the power to talk most people into doing anything they want. And that blessing? It'll fade away after a couple of days. Enjoy the attention while you have it", she said, smirking slightly. I could feel the eyes on me as we were dragged through the crowd of people, still buzzing about my claiming. _MY _claiming. In my unnaturally beautiful dress, I stood out uncomfortably in the sea of orange. Not that I didn't LIKE the attention, it was just uncomfortable. I had only just got here, after all. I didn't know much of these people. I didn't need to be judged before people knew who I actually was.

We walked back to the cabins. It was fairly empty, but the a gaggle of girls stood outside one of the cabins. Mine, apparently, because we were heading straight towards it.

The girls, and a couple of guys, stopped talking when they saw me head towards them. A stunning girl with braided, uneven hair, and multicoloured, kaleidoscope eyes that shifted from brown to green to deep blue and back again, stepped forward. She smiled warmly. "I'm Piper McLean", she said, her tone friendly. "Welcome to the Aphrodite cabin. I'll be your head counsellor for your time here. I'm sure you will find that we are ALL very welcoming here." At this, she shot a dirty look at one of the girls at the back, with incredibly pretty and slightly Asian-looking features, spoiled by the haughty, arrogant look in her eyes. She sniffed and turned up her nose. Beside me, I noticed Lily glaring at her too. I'll ask her about it later, I thought. "Your things are already on the bed", the girl called Piper continued. "I've also put a couple of spare shirts and jeans too, just in case you want to change out of that dress. The hairdo and make-up's permanent, though, I'm afraid." She sounded sympathetic, as if she had been through the blessing too-which she probably had. I nodded, taking it all in. "Come on in!" she said, "If you were anything like me, I would guess you would want to change into something slightly more….easier to move in." I made my way past the group of people to get my first actual look at the cabin.

The whole building was painted soft grey, with steps leading up to a blue-and-white checkered verandah supported by creamy white pillars. Lace curtains framed windows that held potted pink, white, and red carnations . The door was wooden, and painted light pink, with an exquisitely carved silver door handle in the shape of a dove. I stepped up and grasped it, opening the door wide.

Inside it was a WHOLE different story

I was hit by a powerful reek of too much perfume. The walls were painted completely pink, and posters of shirtless male actors dominated the walls. Each bed, unlike the Hermes cabin, was individual and held a fluffy, thick, grey blanket. Dressers were everywhere, cluttered with make up and mirrors. An en suite bathroom's door was flung wide open. Clothes and shoes were EVERYWHERE. Some were arranged in neat, tidy, colour coded, rows, but some where just flung out everywhere. I swear those high heels sticking straight up on the ground was a safely hazard. My heart sank. This felt like the aftermath of some rich, popular girls slumber party. HOW was I supposed to LIVE here? I felt Piper materialise next to me and put a hand on my shoulder sympathetically. "I know how you feel", she said quietly, amused, "I didn't think I could survive a week in this place either. Luckily for you, though, I've put you next to me. You'll get some quiet."

"Thanks," I said gratefully. "For everything".

"No problem", she said, her mesmerising eyes sparkling. "Thats what half-sisters are for, right?" I smiled in return.

I changed into the t shirt and shorts that Piper had put on my bed. The dress shimmered, then faded away as it left my skin. Oh well. It wasn't like I wanted it, anyway. There was a bracelet on my wrist though, that I couldn't take off, no matter how hard I tugged on it. It was sort of pretty, though. Piper was about the hair, and make-up too. I couldn't get any of the pins or hair ties out, and the lips tip and mascara seemed waterproof. So I had to go around looking like goddess-wannabe. She had given me a hoodie, too, but it wasn't that cold yet. I might save it for later. I headed outside to Lily, who was waiting outside. "Thanks for waiting", I said.

"No probs," she replied. "I _would've _come in with you, but _Tanaka_ over there," she jerked her head to the Asian girl from before, spitting the name out like it tasted bad in her mouth, was acting all bi…..stuck up, and told me I wasn't allowed to go in, because I wasn't a _child of Aphrodite", _she mimicked, using a high-pitched voice. "No offence to you, of course, but some of Aphrodite's cabin are seriously bad news." She stamped away, fuming.

Amy was standing near the steps. We watched Lily march off. "Who was that?" I asked her, slightly bewildered at Lily's sudden outburst. "That's Drew Tanaka."she said gravely. "She and Lily seriously hate each other. Well, actually, most girls in the right mind do. She is one of those people who will act all sweet and innocent, then stab you in the back. Think of the worst popular girl you've encountered. That's her, except five times worse. She thinks she's the best of us all. She used to be the head counsellor, until Leo, Jason, and his girlfriend, Piper, came along, and she challenged her. You had best stay away from her. She isn't a very nice person, if you haven't gathered already." Amy said, shrugging her shoulders. "Most girls would get angry just by looking at her, with all the stupid things she's done, but I don't see the point. She wants the attention, and I'm not going to waste my energy giving it to her." I marvelled at her logic. "There's still a couple of hours until the campfire", she said. "Do you want to come to the armoury? Maybe there's we can find something there for you. I'll take you, since Lily is a little….indisposed at the moment.. Don't worry though. She'll get over it, She always does. " I nodded and followed her to the armoury.

It was a stout, metal, shed-like structure, just off to the side of the Athena cabin. Amy opened the door quietly, and ushered me inside. She flicked a light switch, which lit up the dark room. I gasped. Inside were different arrays of daggers, swords, spears, bows and arrows, shields, and even some shotguns. They were all bronze, giving off a dull sheen in the yellow light of the light bulb. "This is where the campers get their weapons", Amy said. "Take your pick. You have plenty of time." I walked along the neatly arranged shelves, running my hands over the sharp blades. There couldn't have been more different. Some swords were double edged, foot long and glinting with the promise of bloodshed. Then there were the small, dainty throwing knives that looked like they could impale you from a miles away. Long, elegant bows hung in rows along a wall, their respective quivers laid out under them, filled with sharp, bronze-tipped arrows. "All of these are made from Celestial Bronze," Amy said behind me. "It's the only metal known to camp that can cut through monsters." After a short pause, she said "Most children of Aphrodite use a bow or a dagger. You don't see many that charge straight into battle wielding a sword." All of the weapons were cool, but none of them appealed to me in any special way. If what I saw of Amy and Lily's weapons were anything to go by, then I would guess that the weapon was a very important part of the demigod life. There wasn't anything here, though. After browsing for another half an hour or so, I gave up. "I can't find anything!" I cried out to Amy helplessly.

"It's ok", she said. "I didn't expect you to find something that quickly anyway." Then she lifted a slender bow and it's small quiver off its hook and offered them to me. "In the meantime, use these. They're light enough for you to train with, and until you get a proper weapon, you'll have to make do." I took them off her. They were fairly light, just as she said. "I'll tell Lily to teach you how to shoot. She's a natural at it, being a daughter of Apollo, and everything." I slung the bow and quiver over my shoulder. By the time we got out of the armoury, it was already dark. I guess we had spent more time in there than I gave credit for. "It's almost time for the campfire", Amy said. "Why don't you go back to your cabin and put your stuff down? I'll meet you up with Lily later." she zoomed off to her own cabin.

I made my way back to the Aphrodite cabin. I walked over to my bed and put the bow and arrows under it. I walked over to the bathroom to try and make another vain attempt to wash off the make-up, and to take a shower. After I came out, smelling clean, and slightly of roses, with the make up _still _on, I crashed into someone halfway to my bed, who was holding a ton of makeup. I looked up to see the girl that Lily hated so much, Drew, glaring at me. "You watch where you're going, new girl", she snarled. "McLean might be fond of you, but you mess up with me and I'll make sure you won't be able to show your face outdoors for a month. At this, she raised her hand, as if to slap me, but I threw up my arm instinctively, and….

A huge disc of bronze expanded out from my bracelet, and stopped Drew mid-hit. As I watched, she froze in terror, staring transfixed at the surface of the shield, then ran out, dropping her make up again, shrieking. I felt confused. I lowered my hand, and the circular shield snapped back into the bracelet. I peered closely at it. A charm I hadn't noticed before swung from it, with the letters καθρέπτης τρόμος engraved onto it. Mirror of Terror. _Kathr__épti̱s__. _Looks like I HAD found a weapon, after all.

"Thanks, Mum", I whispered quietly.

Then I hurried out of the cabin, grabbing my hoodie on the way and pulling it on over the t-shirt. I was going to be late for the campfire. As I stepped outside, I could see that the campers were all gravitating to the centre of the courtyard, where the huge bundle of sticks I had seen before was blazing up in a huge, unnaturally golden flames. I jogged over, and saw Lily and Amy huddled together, on the other side of the fire. I plopped myself onto the log next to them. Lily smiled at me apologetically. "Sorry about earlier", she said. "Its ok", I told her. "I don't blame you. I ran into her just then. I get why you were so annoyed. NOT a pleasant experience. Not at all." She grinned in reply. "Oh, Amy told me you would need lessons in archery", she said. "I can help with that. Do you want to start tomorrow?"

"I would love to, but the thing is…." I told them about the way the shield had spiralled out of the bracelet, and the way Drew had ran away screaming after taking a mere glance at it. Lily smirked, and Amy looked thoughtful. "I've heard of shields that can be contained in a bracelet, but the running away in terror part? I don't know. There are shields that have terrifying designs marked onto them though. Maybe thats yours. Maybe try it on one of us?" I wasn't so sure. "I wouldn't want you to be terrified, though…." I said hesitantly. "Hah, it's fine." Lily said casually. "We've faced plenty of bone-chillin' stuff before. This shouldn't be too bad."

"Ok, I said, relenting. I led them away from the crowd. "Ok", I said. "Who's my guinea pig?" Lily stepped forward. Amy shrugged, and turned her back. I raised my arm carefully, like I did in the Aphrodite cabin, and watched as the shield unravelled again. Lily watched in awe as the huge piece of bronze unfolded. Then her eyes focused on the surface, and she blanched. The colour left her cheeks, and she took a step backwards, trembling. I quickly bring my hand down, making the shield fold up. "Are you ok?", I asked Lily, who was still shaking. "What did you see?" Amy rushed over to her friend, placing her hand on her shoulder comfortingly and murmuring in her ear until she stopped shaking. "Ok", she said, taking deep breaths. "Your shield-it doesn't have a permanent design on it. In fact, it's perfectly smooth. But when I looked at it….." she shuddered. "It showed the most terrifying thing I had ever seen."

"Hmm", Amy pondered. "So, something like a mirror, then? But showing something terrifying?

Lily nodded vehemently. "Exactly like that."

"A mirror that invokes terror in the victim…." Amy said. "An interesting weapon. How it was made, I have no idea. It's definitely made out of celestial bronze, though. But how it knows how to target the victims mind…" she went on, muttering about magic and logic. "You ok?" I asked Lily guiltily. It WAS _my _shield that got her in this state. "Yeah, I'm fine. Glad I'm your friend and won't ever have to experience that again. I hope."

We were interrupted by Chiron's deep voice. We dragged Amy, who was still mumbling to herself, and rejoined the rest of the campers.

"As you know, we have had a new camper here today, who was claimed as a daughter of Aphrodite at dinner. I won't call Jess out now, but I hope you will ALL make her feel welcome.", his voice boomed. "I'm sure that Miss Lang is very tired, and that you all are, after all this excitement today. So I highly recommend you make use of the time I'm giving you to sleep, to well, sleep. I expect you all to be returning to your duties tomorrow. You are all dismissed. Chop chop!" He swished in tail and stamped his hoof. The crowd groaned, disappointed that they were't going to have any fun before bed, but not raising any complaints. I went along with them too, glad for some time to rest. Before Lily left me for her own cabin, she said, "I will expect you at the archery field at 8:30 tomorrow, sharp!", copying Chiron's tone of voice. I giggled, and said I would. Just then, Michael, the black haired boy from Hermes, whooshed by and flicked her hair, stealing the hair tie, and making her hair fall down in a long, thick, curtain of black. She ran after him, cursing.I rolled my eyes, and waved to Amy. Then I made my way back to the Aphrodite cabin. I lay down on the fluffy blanket and closed my eyes, the past day just whizzing around in my brain. Before I knew it though, despite the jumbled thoughts, I had fallen fast asleep.

**-PurplePegasus**

**AN: Hi guys! Thanks for reviewing! It meant a lot to me! Also, sorry for the cliched ending, but it was all I could think of. ._.**

**P.S I'm sorry that this chapter took slightly longer than the other 3, but I was caught up in schoolwork-can't blame me though!**


	6. Another Friend

**The Legacy of Aphrodite**

_Another friend_

When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't make sense of where I was. The blanket was too warm, the air was too thick with perfume, there were _way _too many people in my bedroom. I bolted upright, then slowly lay back down again as I remembered what I was doing here. How this was the Aphrodite cabin, not my bedroom. I looked at my watch, and sat right back up again. 8:00 o'clock. Dammit. I was going to be late for my training session with Lily. I quickly got changed into the Camp t-shirt, and a fresh pair of jeans. Even though I usually woke up every morning with my hair tangled, the smooth do from the Aphrodite's blessing hadn't changed in the slightest. And the make-up was still there. I sighed inwardly. I quickly brushed my teeth and splashed some water on my face. Then I grabbed the bow and quiver from under the bed, and head out into the cool air.

The campers were already out and milling around, training, and going about their day. I headed up to the archery fields, where Lily had said she was going to meet me. She wasn't there yet. I looked at my watch again. 8:20. Ten minutes to go. I leaned against on of the pillars supporting the roof above my head, and thought about the past two days. I wondered if my Dad had sent out a search yet. Would he care? They wouldn't find me here, would they? Chiron had said something about magical borders. Maybe only demigods could come into this place. I thought about Lily and Amy, smiling. All my life, I had been a loner, and I come here for a couple of hours and made two friends already. I wondered how long they had been here. They both seemed nice, but I was nervous. How did I know if I was being a good friend? Was I supposed to give them birthday or christmas presents? And did they stay here all year round? What if they went home during the term break? Where would I be then? I wasn't going home, thats for sure. And there were only two weeks left of school when I had left. School. What was I going to do about that? It wasn't like I cared very much-I knew the basics, but would I need to know anything else? I didn't exactly see anyone studying in this place, apart form maybe the Athena cabin. But then their mum was the goddess of wisdom. That was kinda expected. Maybe they had lessons here or something.

By the time these thoughts had finished running themselves around in my head, Lily had materialised next to me. She waved a piece of paper in front of my face. "Olympus to Jess", she said. I snapped out of my reverie. "Oh, hey Lily."

"Hey yourself. Sorry I'm late. Chiron wanted me to give this to you. She handed me the piece of paper. It was a timetable.

_7:00-7:30 Breakfast_

_8:00-10:00 Archery training-Lilian Waters (Target practice)_

_10:00-12:00 Winged Horseback Riding w/Demeter Cabin (Trail, or aerial combat)_

_12:00-12:30 Lunch-Mess Hall_

_12:30-1:30 RECREATIONAL TIME - Choice of: Climbing Wall, Swimming, Canoeing, Arts and Craft w/Hephaestus Cabin_

_1:30-3:30 DAILY THEORY - Mathematics, Greek, Monster Assault Techniques w/Athena Cabin _

Well, I guess that answered the question of school. Dammit. Maths? MATHS? well. At least it wasn't English.

_3:30-4:30 - Sword and Shield Combat w/Ares Cabin (Full combat armour required)_

_4:30-6:30 FREE TIME_

_6:00 WEEKLY CABIN INSPECTION_

_6:30-9:00 CAPTURE THE FLAG (Combat Gear Required, all magical items allowed)_

_9:00-10:00 CAMPFIRE w/Apollo cabin_

_10:00 PREPARE FOR SLEEP-lights out before 11:00_

"This'll be your timetable until Chiron gives you a new one. You've missed breakfast, I'm afraid. I didn't see you at the mess hall", she said

I shrugged. I was used to not eating breakfast. I pointed to the first one. "Lilian Waters. That you right?" she grimaced.

"Yeah, but don't call me that. I hate my name." I didn't mind. I had gotten used to Lily, anyways.

"Shall we start?" she said cheerfully. I nodded, gesturing at the bow Amy had given me. She picked it up carefully, running her hands over the curve of the bow. "Nice choice", she murmured. "Light, for a beginner. Nice shape. This should be perfect." She strung an arrow into the bow, positioning herself carefully, and let loose. The arrow shot forward and embedded its tip into the target. A perfect bulls-eye.

I stared, wide eyed. "How did you do that?"

She smiled. "Daughter of Apollo, remember? They're always awesome at shooting arrows, its one of the many skills we have. Not as good as the Hunters of Artemis, probably, but pretty good."

"The Hunters of Artemis?"

"A gaggle of teenage girls wearing silver that never age or date anyone, spending their glorious eternal lives shooting and tracking down monsters. I'll tell you more later, but we have to get on with this lesson. You shouldn't be too worried. Aphrodite's kids never join the Hunt. Goddess of love, and all. The no-dating part doesn't stick with them."

She handed me the bow. "Alright, feet apart, arms straight, bow in your left, yes, thats it…." She taught me how to stand, how to aim carefully, how to watch as my arrow flew through the air and to watch its path. For the first few tries, I couldn't get anywhere near the target. But on my fifth, it finally got in a solid stick into the black band. "YES!" I yelled triumphantly.

Lily smiled. "See, wasn't that hard, was it? You either have the potential or you don't. But don't get too happy. This is only the start."

I fired arrow after arrow, most of them sticking into the target, but a fair few still flying sideways. Lily tried her best in coaching me. Every time I missed, she would adjust my posture, and give a demonstration, which was more depressing than helpful, because she looked so very perfect doing it. She noticed my glum expression, though.

"Hey, don't get depressed", she said. "You've only been learning for 40 minutes. I've had 4 years to perfect this. You'll get it someday."

I groaned and lifted my arms again. After an hour and what felt like two million arrows, I collapsed onto the bench. "WHY is this so TIRING?" I groaned, my arms and shoulders aching.

Lily shrugged. "It's your first time. Don't be too hard on yourself."

I took a swig of water out of the bottle she offered me, and just sat there, the cool wind blowing through my hair comfortingly.

"Hey Lily", I ventured.

"Mm?"

"Do you like Michael?"

She almost spat out the water she was drinking. "NOOOOO!"

I burst out laughing. She glared at me murderously.

"Where in ZEUS's name did you get THAT idea?"

"He _does _seem very…attracted to you…and your hair…."

"NO. I DO NOT LIKE HIM, AND I SERIOUSLY HOPE THAT HE DOESN'T LIKE ME EITHER. EVEN APHRODITE WOULDN'T BE THAT CRUEL." then she heaved a sigh. "I should've known I would have to put up with this. WHY am I friends with you again?"

I smirked. "Aw, you know you love me. But not as much as….Michael…."

I grinned and sprinted for my life as she growled and and ran after me. I didn't have a chance. She followed me around about half of the archery field, before she caught hold of my shoulder. We stopped, panting, me still grinning widely, while she glared at me non stop. "I swear to the Gods, if I had time, I would KILL you right now. But you have pegasus riding to get to. She shooed me away. "You can leave your bow here. It'll be safe. The Hermes kids rarely come here. The pegasus stables are near the strawberry fields, near the armoury. You should be fine. Just ask any person."

Waving to Lily, I turned and powerwalked in the _general _direction she had told me to go, before she changed her mind about killing me. It took me a while, and a few peoples help, but I finally got to a grand, homey stable. it was pretty big. There were about 50 stalls, Funny though, the stalls didn't have doors. They were wide open. There were CLEARLY animals here though, judging by the smell and snuffling. Why they would be left to roam, I had no idea. I peeked into the first stall. I was not disappointed.

Like a creature out of a fairytale, A snowy white pegasus occupied the stall, it's legs tucked cleanly under it, and a silky white mane falling into its eyes. A pair of strong, feathered angel wings grew from its shoulders. I got why the stalls were left open now. It would just be _sad _if this creature was cooped up inside a stable all day.

"Hey!" A friendly voice called out. I turned to see a dark skinned, curly haired boy walking towards me, his hands tucked inside his jean pockets, looking as at ease on the ground and amongst the winged horses as Lily did shooting. He looked like one of the slightly older campers. 16, or 17. "You're Jessica, right? The Aphrodite girl?" he asked, extending a hand. "Yep", I answered, shaking it. "I'm Adam, son of Demeter." he turned to the pegasus in the stall. "Hey Feather", he said calmly. He whickered softly. The pegasus, I mean, not Adam. "He says hello", he said, smiling at me. "Feather here is one of our showier horses. Most of the horses here aren't 'white'-they're actually technically grey- and their manes and forelocks aren't that long. It gets caught in the saddles, when we use them. But this boy here is a vain thing he is, tryna attract all the mares within a mile of his glorious presence." He winked at Feather, who snorted. "You speak horse?" I asked, surprised. "All children of Demeter and Poseidon can. In fact, all children of Demeter can speak to any animal. But I spend most of my time here, so 'horse' is my preferred language." He laughed lightly. Then he led me away from Feather, waving goodbye to him in the process. We walked along the row of stalls.

"Since it's your first lesson, I'll just use this two hours to get you acquainted with an equine friend. If we have any time left, I'll show you how to saddle up on a pegasus. Thats not _too _important, though. We usually ride bareback. But you'll need it for a beginner. Not every horse here is a pegasus, but none of them are ordinary horses. They all have some kind of magical talent, or are just a collection of the best horses on Earth. Some of them are off limits though, as they belong to campers and don't take too kindly to other people riding them. But since this is meant to be a _winged _horse riding lesson, I'll get you to focus mainly on the pegasi, not…" he talked on and on about the occupants of the stable, so I tuned out. Half intentionally, and half accidentally, because I was too distracted staring in awe at the variety of equine life in the stables. Adam had been right, Feather HAD been showy. But that didn't make the rest of the horses any less beautiful. Most of them just looked like normal horses, but with a pair of large, matching wings. But they looked a lot sleeker, their coats shinier, and just basically just much healthier. NOT that mortal horses were all old nags. Just that these were so much better. I walked past each stall, greeted by pegasi of a whole range of variety. An Arabian-looking mare nickered gently. A buckskin threw his dark mane back and whinnied in challenge. A seriously buff looking one just glared at me as I went past. I stayed away from him. All of them passed in a blur of black, brown, dun, bay, roan, and the occasional grey, until I got up to the 40th something stall. I didn't go any farther.

A golden palomino mare stood there, her wings spread outwards (the stalls were actually pretty wide) in a grand display of feathers, as if she were stretching them. A creamy coloured mane and tail rippled slightly in the small wind, not as long as Feather's, but long enough to give an air of grace around her. She noticed me looking at her and folded her wings back to her side. Her eyes were more human like than any horse I had seen so far. They were wide, circled with deep chocolate brown irises. They glittered at me, curious, but also held a little sadness in them.

"What's her name?" I asked Adam breathily, reaching out a hand. She butted her head gently against it. I played with the strands of her forelock.

"This is Merena. She draws the chariot for the Aphrodite cabin in chariot racing. She used to belong to Silena, the head counsellor for Aphrodite's cabin before Drew and Piper, but she….." he trailed off. I nodded to say that I understood. Amy had said something about her. Something about dying a hero in a war with the Titans. "Most pegasi just fly off when their companions…pass away. Nobody stops them. Most can't bear to be in the presence of another human being. But Merena is the somewhat mother to all the pegasi here. She's very caring, but she has a fiery spirit, and the stables could very well fall apart without her, even with the Demeter and Aphrodite cabin helping. Drew's tried to strike up a 'friendship' with her, though that didn't end too well." he cringed slightly at the memory. I didn't find it very surprising. The mean girl of the camp and this gentle creature just didn't click. "She seems to like you though. And she would be a brilliant choice for your introduction to winged horseback riding. That is, if you two agree to each other."

Merena neighed, nuzzling his shoulder.

"She says she thinks it would be wonderful", Adam translated.

I smiled. "It would be an honour", I told her, placing my hand on her cheek. For a tiny second, I thought I could see a spark of happiness light up the sadness in those dark, soulful eyes of hers.

Adam clapped his hands together. "Excellent", he said, excited.

And just like that, I had a pegasus to call my own.

_**-**_**PurplePegasus**

**AN: I'm so sorry for the sudden ending. But I wanted to get this chapter up-I know **_**some**_** people have been waiting impatiently. And I **_**am **_**sorry for the wait. Anyways, read, and review please!**

**P.S Sorry for all the horse terminology. I AM somewhat of a horse lover :D**


	7. Capture The Flag

**The Legacy of Aphrodite**

**Capture the Flag**

We had spent _way _too much time looking throughout the pegasi. I looked at my watch. 12:05. "Oh, Gods, I'm so sorry. Time always flies with these beauties. You had better sprint to the mess hall if you actually want some food. Merena'll be waiting for you right here, don't you worry." Adam said apologetically. I gave the palomino a last final pat, then dashed away. `

I arrived at the Mess Hall. After the peace of the stables, it seemed _way _too loud. It was like a high school canteen, the noise roaring up as everyone tried to speak over everyone else. Apparently the cabin table rule was disregarded at Lunch. Everyone sat wherever they wanted. Good, I thought. As much as I loved teasing Lily, Lunch with Tanaka did NOT sound good. The prospect of dinner didn't sound too romantic either. But I shouldn't worry about that now. Right now, I needed FOOD. I spotted Lily and Amy sitting at what should've been the Demeter table. I jogged over, and sat down with an ungraceful thud. I pulled a plate towards me. A sandwich materialised out of nowhere. I dug into it.

"Hey", Lily said, seemingly forgotten all about her death threat. "How were the Pegasi?"

"Completely and Utterly Amazing", I said, slightly dreamily.

Lily snorted. "Someone's in love", she commented. Amy elbowed her.

I rolled my eyes at her. "I'm a child of Aphrodite, aren't I? I'm _supposed _to fall in love on a regular basis. Even though my best friend seems to have beaten me to it."

She sighed. "You had to", she said, groaning.

"Yup", I said, grinning at her widely. "You're the one that started it".

"What are you doing for your Rec?" Amy asked me, completely ignoring me and Lily's conversation.

"I don't know. What is there?"

"Depends on your tastes, really. You can make something at the forge, or you can go swimming or canoeing at the lake or something. There is the climbing wall, but thats usually for the more, uh, _competitive _campers. You won't want to try it just yet, until you've learned more skills"

"Err….."

"You have Rec next, right? I can just take you to every single one to try them out, if you want"

"Sounds fine to me", I said, kind of relieved. I had never been someone to make decisions. It had always been someone else making them for me.

We finished eating, and walked out of the mess hall. We waved to Lily, and headed in the direction of the lake.

"We're gonna start with canoeing," she said, pulling a small boat-like thing out of the shed with ease. "Uh, prepare to get wet".

45 minutes, two sore arms, and a pair of wet shoes later, Amy finally let me paddle to the shore.

All I could say is that I DID NOT like the lake. Actually, I can say much more than that, including some curses about the nymphs, but that would just be wasting time. So I kept it to myself, grumbling slightly, and trudged out of the muddy bank, my hair muddy, wet and stringy, shoes clogged with mud, and in need of a warm bath. I was SO not trying anything else now.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on theory and sword and shield combat. Surprisingly, "school" here wasn't boring. Bright eyed children of Athena would stand up the front and talk animatedly about the weak spots on a Nemean Lions body, or draw and explain complicated replicas of Archimedes (Yes, THE Archimedes) designs. And they didn't make you sit still. You could yell out whatever you wanted, and they wouldn't get annoyed at you. For once, I actually understood something. It definitely wasn't anything like the lessons I had before I came to camp. And all I had to say about the sword fighting….the Ares cabin was completely terrifying. If you didn't do your absolute best-they wont stand by it. Especially since I was a child of Aphrodite. They looked down upon us, like they weren't even bother to try. Which was seriously unfair. I had just come from the most boring and depressing life ever. Didn't I at least deserve the tiny bit of tolerance they gave the other cabins? Still, I learnt something. Which is more than could be said for the past six years.

However fascinating the stuff at camp was, it was tiring, so when the burly children of Ares finally barked a dismissal at us, I was relieved.

That relief, however, was short lived. Lily materialised behind me on my way back to my cabin.

"We have Capture the Flag after dinner", she said. "Like the game Capture The Flag, but with armour. And swords. And a lot more fun."

Dang. I was never good at these things. Last time I played something like this, in what…Fifth Grade? I was on the sidelines, listening to music. I wasn't the kind of person to exactly jump into the mess of things and thrash about with a sword. I was probably rubbish with a sword, anyways. I had had exactly one lesson. I wasn't really looking forward to it. I was gonna die.

Lily must've sensed that, because she smiled at me sympathetically.

"You'll be fine. Um…just stay out of the way until you're more experienced, I guess? Especially out of Ares way. Just do whatever Your team captain tells you to do . Should be easy enough. Who knows, it might be fun!" She tried to sound upbeat, but it wasn't really helping. She patted me on the shoulder.

"Enjoy your free time", she said, and raced off to do who knows what. Probably to escape the tension. I spent the next hour lying on my fluffy blanket and listening to music. Might as well get some relaxing time before I completely screw up, right? So I just lay there, eyes closed, listening to the soft lyrics of Coldplay. Feeling pretty useless, but that sat okay with me. I didn't like the spotlight. Plus, I was tired. And it was only my second day of camp. You gotta cut me some slack.

After what seemed like only a couple of minutes, the hollow sound of the horn sounded. I sighed, and pulled the earphones out of my ears, and headed in the general direction of everyone else.

The mess hall was already crowded. I was about to head to the Apollo table, where I could see Lily's head, but I remembered about the cabin rule. Gods. This is just getting worse. I walked slowly to the Aphrodite table-all lace tablecloth and high backed chairs.

"Jess, honey!" Drew said sweetly. Ew. Her voice was like medicine. Disgustingly sweet and syrupy. I sat as far away as possible from her, ending up between a guy and a girl, earning myself a hateful glare fro Drew. Meh. Fine by me. Last thing I needed right now was a budding BFF relationship with Drew. The idea made me shiver. The girl ignored me, but the guy offered a small smile. Well. Looks like the cabin isn't so bad after all. Mostly. When dinner appeared, I looked around. It was like sitting on a table of cheerleaders before a school dance. Salad. Green leafy stuff everywhere. Even Piper. I looked at her incredulously. "Vegetarian", she mouthed. Oh. Ok. Well, they weren't going to stop me. Drew was watching me eat with a wrinkled nose. Gods, the girl was rude. Mind your own business, much? Apparently not. I sighed. This was gonna be a long night.

When dinner was finished and the plates were cleared away, Chiron stamped a hoof.

"Heroes!" he boomed over the noise. We fell silent. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. Magic items are allowed. The banner must be displayed where people can actually see it, and have no more than to campers guarding it. Prisoners may be disarmed, but cannot be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. Any injuries will serve as severe penalties. I will be referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!" He opened his hands, and the tables when we looked back, the table was covered with battle equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, shields.

Everyone on my table looked at it distastefully. Some sighed and pulled it on like it might poison them at any moment, but the others just rolled their eyes and sauntered away haughtily.

I sidled over to Piper, who was fitting her helmet on delicately. "Er…..help?" I whispered.

"Oh, right, ok, so basically, grab a helmet. We're on the Blue team this time, along with Athena, Demeter, Hermes, Zeus, and the minor cabins-Hecate, Hypnos, Iris. The Red team has everyone else-Dionysus, Apollo, Ares, Hephaestus. I admit, we Aphrodite people aren't much help-I suck at sword fighting. But, mostly, I just help on border patrol-keep the other team out with my charmspeak, buy them some time."

"Charmspeak?" I asked.

"Mmhm", she said. "Like this. Sit down."

I could see what she meant. Her words held a persuasive power that made me want to just collapse into the nearest chair. But funnily, I could resist it. It wasn't that strong. Like I could just block out the command with my mind, the way music blocked out outside noise.

According to her frown, that wasn't normal. "That should've made you sit", she said.

She muttered something about the rules of charmspeak. Something about gods and awareness. Then she turned back to me, her eyes bright. "Why don't you stick with me?", she asked. "I get the feeling you won't be one of my useless siblings."

"Uh, Ok….", That I could live with. Following people around was my specialty.

Just then, a great cheer arose from the camp, as the Apollo and Athena cabins ran out, carrying two long, fluttering silk banners. Lily and two of her siblings ran out from one side of the pavilion carrying a flag of golden yellow, emblazoned with a lyre. The other emerged from the other side, carried by a blonde girl and two others. Not Amy. It was a gaudy grey, painted with an owl over an olive tree.

"Those are the flags", Piper murmured. "The Athena girl? Annabeth? You want to be careful of her. She is the smartest mortal person that I've ever met. I haven't been here long, but trust me. Especially now that her boyfriend Percy's missing, you don't want to get on her bad side. She'll always have a plan. The other teams led by Apollo. Usually, its led by Ares, but this time its different. They're terrific archers-but you probably know that. We have the edge in powers, though. Demeter have their nature skills. Hecate and Hypnos can work some magic. And, of course, we have Jason." I noticed that her eyes lit up with a dreamy smile. "He can conjure up some serious lightning. He's not allowed to hurt anyone, of course, but a searing bolt right next to you can scare you. On the other team-Ares are brutal fighters. Steer clear of them. Hephaestus have strength. And they have fire. Theres a scrawny guy who can summon fire at will. They have numbers in the Apollo cabin, too. So basically, let Annabeth and co. do their work. If we're lucky, they'll have the flag in no time."

I nodded, and started moving towards the woods. Border patrol. Stay out of the way. Seemed okay to me. Maybe this wasn't so bad.

We got into position, the Athena and Hermes cabin darting into the trees, A tall blonde that radiated power-I assumed it was Jason from the way Piper looked at him-and a Demeter boy strode into the trees with the flag. Was it just me, or did the boys face seem a little red? He seemed to be trying to catch my eye too. Hmm. I followed Piper to the edge of the creek, where we were joined by a sleepy eyed boy, a wild looking girl, a muscular guy with a rainbow tattooed onto his shoulder, and a couple of other campers I didn't recognise. Farther away, I could see a group of girls sitting with their feet dangling in the creek, doing their hair and gossiping somewhat loudly. A moment of silence as the scuffling stopped, and then a faraway conch horn blew.

"Let the Games Begin", Piper muttered.

The woods came alive as a line of blue plumed campers burst out from our side of the 'field', yelling defiantly. Somewhere in the enemies lines, an answering roar sounded and the metallic clang of swords against shields sounded, accentuated by the yes, the occasional flash of lightning and smell of smoke. I scanned the trees for anyone that came trying to sneak into our territory. I thought I caught a flash of red, but when I blinked, it was gone. We stayed there, along the edge of the creek, alert, waiting for something to happen while the sound of battle reverberated around the air. Being close to the Hypnos guy wasn't helping. He made me feel woozy, like nothing was better right now than a fluffy pillow and a warm blanket…..

"OI!" Piper yelled. I snapped back to attention, just in time to see half a dozen red plumes dash across our line. I sprang into action. Me and Piper sprinted after them. There was something exhilarating about the chase. Just the blood flowing through my veins, urging me to go faster, the win whipping through my hair-it was a pretty cool feeling. No matter how much we tried, however, it still wasn't helping. I wasn't the fittest person alive. And the lithe Apollo campers were no match for us. Piper sensed it too, because after about 2 minutes of chasing, she slowed to a jog.

"Hey", she called out. "Why don't you slow down? Take a break from all this running?" The words washed over me, tempting. Her charmspeak working its magic. The Reds in front of us slowed.

Piper jerked her head subtly, and I jogged forward, until I was standing behind them. "Yeah", I said, joining in. They seem startled slightly at someone behind them, and tried to fight back, but I raised my arm and let Kathreptis fan out from my wrist. They yelped, and jumped back. "Why not just give up and leave it all to everyone else? I'm sure they can take care of everything." I tried to put power in my words, like Piper had. It worked. They started retreating quickly back to Piper. She stared at me with those kaleidoscope eyes, astonished. I was pretty surprised too. I REALLY hadn't expected it to work at all. I herded them back until they were only a few metres away from Piper, and then went to stand with her. The five campers came closer, and I realised that their eyes looked slightly filmy. I hadn't realised it, but there was something familiar about that expression. The hellhound on my first day of camp. The way it had retreated without a fight when I had yelled at it.

"Lou!", Piper said. The wild haired girl emerged and snapped her fingers. All the weapons they were holding immediately clattered to the ground, as if there was an imaginary magnet in the earth that attracted celestial bronze especially. Then she held out her hands, as if holding a rope, and pulled. The reds stumbled along like zombies. She led them away, back to the creek, and then let go. The campers woke up out of their trance-like mode. They stood up, confused, and tried to walk away. Piper gestured to the sleepy boy, and he shuffled over and touched all of them on the head, which immediately made them all fall into a deep sleep. Piper looked at them, satisfied, before turning back to me.

"How did you do that?", she asked

"Uh…I…um…I just….", I stammered.

She smiled. "Trick question", she said, laughing. "Welcome to the company of charmspeakers, Jess. Oh, and nice weapon."

"I…I have charmspeak?"

"Just as much as Drew and me", she said. "You might need some training, but its pretty easy to manage. I'll give you some tips, though." Then she sobered. "Charmspeak is a useful tool, Jess. You seem like a good enough person. Some people can use charmspeak for the wrong reasons-bending people to all their will with horrible intentions. I want to make sure you won't do that before I coach you."

I nodded gravely. "When you say the wrong reasons….do you mean like Drew?

She winced. "Drew is bad, yes. But there's more evil to the world than arrogant, stuck up girls, unfortunately", she said, a dark cloud passing over her face. There was probably a story behind that, but I decided not to ask.

A great charging of feet interrupted our conversation. A sole son of Demeter ran in front of a huge crowd of red plumes with a shining golden banner streaming behind him. He was close, but the crowd was gaining on him, a pack of dogs snapping at his heels. I looked at Piper, and we nodded at each other.

We ran in front of the crowd, and motioned for the boy to cover his ears. He lowered his helmet. "STOP!", we shrieked at the top of our lungs, throwing all the power we had into the words. The entire team of red halted, braking as they slammed into one another. They stumbled around, confused. A large girl, probably from Ares, came to her senses and shouted at everyone to keep going, but it was too late. As I turned back to look at the son of Demeter, the silk of the flag turned grass green and the lyre disappeared, replaced by a shimmering tree. A great series of whoops and cheers resounded from the blue team as Chiron galloped forward, blowing the conch horn, as the boy lifted the flag triumphantly. I tried to cheer along with them as well, but found that my throat was raw and nothing but a strangled rasp would come out. Still, I clapped along as loudly as I could. Because we had won. And I had helped. And it felt awesome.

**-PercicoAnatle**

**AN: Okay, I'm sorry, I have no excuse. Just glad this finally made it up. Sorry for the long wait! Hopefully this slightly longer chapter made up for it. Oh, just a heads up, I might not update that quickly from now on-I really need to somehow sort my ideas into neat, tidy rows, AKA chapters. They're kinda all over the place at the mo. Not to mention I have a billion of other stuff to do, as well as exams coming up. =.= Anyways, how was it? Good? Okay? Completely and Horribly Intolerable? Leave a review! It means a lot to me! Thanks :D**


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